Mr. Schepart's Music Classroom

During difficult times throughout history, music has always been a source of comfort, relief, and even joy. Although we haven't been able to meet in person to play our instruments and sing together, the music students at Dr. Kenneth B. Clark Academy have not missed a beat. Technology has allowed us to connect and share ideas online: We face challenges and overcome them. We adapt.

The skills that define strong musicianship are also incredibly helpful for staying strong during this pandemic. Things are changing all the time: musicians can go with the flow. Time is strange, days and weeks seem to merge: musicians are good at carving out time. For many people, it feels like things around them are falling apart: musicians have an undeniable need to create.

Please enjoy this sampling of our students' musical creativity. The app they used here is called Song Maker. It is part of Google's Chrome Music Labs. It works on just about every current device, and is beautiful in its simplicity. These music pieces were made during the first month of distance learning. There were so many wonderful pieces to chose from, and ultimately these were chosen because they represent such a full spectrum of energy and emotion. Since these early works, our students have been introduced to a more advanced program called soundtrap. It is cloud-based, and allows users to collaborate on the same projects.

Speaking of collaboration, my colleagues and I have been able to use technology to share ideas and feel connected. We work on projects together, share ideas for teaching, and tailor each other's lessons to fit our own students. Our efforts have resulted in a distance learning environment that smoothly incorporates the standards for music education. As musicians, students and teachers alike are constantly: creating music, performing music, responding to music, and ultimately connecting music to our individual experiences and the world around us.